Penguins 3, Lightning 0

The Sports Xchange

The SportsXchange•November 29, 2013

TAMPA, Fla. -- Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury had 21 saves to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 3-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday. Fleury, who was pulled from his most recent start after a little more than a period of work, had a tough assignment against the explosive Lightning but made several tough saves throughout the game to re-establish himself as the Penguins' top goalie. Pittsburgh (17-9-1) made a first-period goal by left winger Chris Kunitz hold up as the blue line consistently frustrated a Lightning attack that had netted nine goals in its previous two games. Kunitz's first goal of the game came off of a beautiful pass from center Sidney Crosby. Crosby, working from the point, found Kunitz in the slot and the forward blasted a one-time over the shoulder of Lightning goalie Ben Bishop. Kunitz added an empty-net goal in the closing minutes of the third period, his 13th goal of the season. Kunitz had two opportunities to add to his scoring total but in the second period he failed to handle another near-perfect pass from Crosby that would have set him up with a one-on-one situation. And during a third period power-play, he had a close-range shot deflect over the net. Tampa Bay (16-9-1) turned up the offensive pressure late in the second period when center Valterri Filppula drew a hooking call on left winger James Neal. Fleury, however, stood up to the Lightning power play as he made a pad save on right winger Richard Panik's shot in the final seconds of the second period. Fleury made a second stop on forward Martin St. Louis early in the third period to end the threat. Pittsburgh opened a 2-0 lead on a power play goal when center Brandon Sutter took a shot from behind the net that bounced off Bishop's pad and went in. Crosby finished with two assists and leads the league with 35 points. Bishop had 26 saves. NOTES: Penguins LW Jossi Jokinen did not participate in Thursday's evening practice but was suited up for Friday's game. ... Lightning G Ben Bishop was back in the starting lineup two days after taking a puck off his hand during the team's morning skate. ... Penguins LW Chris Kunitz's first-period goal was just the fourth the Lightning have given up in 12 home games. ... Lightning C Tom Pyatt is practicing with the team in a non-contact jersey and is expected to return to the ice next week. ... Penguins G Marc-Andre Fleury was back in goal Friday despite being pulled early in the second period Wednesday against Toronto after giving up his third goal. ... Lightning D Keith Aulie, expected to be activated from injured reserve any day now, was a scratch Friday.